700 in the last couple of months , I have changed a couple of smaller things which have made a substantial difference …

MIRRORS The standard mirrors work ‘ ok ’. However … they really don ’ t like being hit - snapping quite easily if they hit the ground . I broke one and my buddy welded it back together ( thanks Doug !). Thereafter anytime I went riding where I thought I might drop the bike , I removed them . Not the best solution but it worked . I ’ ve since found that KTM has folding mirrors in its parts catalogue , so I bought a set . They ’ re adjustable and fold out of the way . They don ’ t vibrate too badly either .

FOOTPEGS The stock ‘ pegs are quite short and a little narrow . To get a bit more standing comfort and boot grip , I bought a set of GasGas ’ Rally Pegs which are significantly longer and a tad wider . They ’ ve made a BIG difference to riding comfort when standing and grip my boot better , especially if I ’ ve only managed to get part of my boot on the ‘ peg in a tricky section of trail .

GEARING If you only ride on the road or gravel roads then

the gearing is fine . But . it ’ s no big secret that the gearing on the ES700 ( and the 690 and 701 ) is flawed for more serious trail riding . Sure , there ’ s a lovely close-ratio gearbox in the engine , but with the standard sprockets ( 15T front , 46T rear ), first gear is much too tall for serious off-road riding . Sixth gear is fine on the road … until you drop the gearing to make first and second more useful … and then sixth gear is too short . So , I ’ ve dropped the front one tooth to make first a better crawler gear and it makes second more useful for hill-climbs ( it ’ s too tall as standard ). 100km / h is still pretty good in sixth gear , so it ’ s a passable compromise . I still think I want it lower for serious trails , so have got a 48T rear sprocket in the shed waiting to go on . That should be great for trail exploring around the West Coast , and if I want to go on longer trips , I ’ ll put the 16T front back on . I ’ ll let you know how that goes .

PARTS BOUGHT THIS MONTH

Chiaravalli 14T sprocket # CH4021-14 $ 29 . 00

KTM folding mirrors # 58312040200 $ 143 . 75

GasGas / KTM Rally Pegs # 60103940000 $ 213 . 93